Autopsy on body of Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra shows 'no evidence of violence,' Suffolk police say

An autopsy conducted on Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, the woman found dead on a boat at a Montauk marina Tuesday, showed no evidence of violence and the cause of death was still pending, Suffolk County police said Wednesday. 

The news release came hours after police identified the 33-year-old woman, a Manhattan resident and co-founder of a fashion label.

Nolan-O’Slatarra was found dead on a boat at the Montauk Yacht Club on Star Island Road, police said Tuesday evening in a news release.

Nolan-O’Slatarra's business partner, Dylan Grace, said the pair founded fashion line East x East in 2022. Its website describes the business as providing sustainable, unisex "resort wear" products such as sunglasses and swimsuits.

"She was a truly remarkable person, an amazing business partner and she will be forever in my heart," Grace told Newsday. "We are devastated by her passing."

Nolan-O’Slatarra's TikTok page identifies her as founder of the fashion line and features dozens of videos shot in glamorous settings: in private jets, on a helicopter, in convertibles. One shows a beachside East x East stall and includes the text "POV: The Brand you started 3 years ago has a Pop Up in the Hamptons." 

On Gurney’s Montauk Resort beachfront, where the pop-up was apparently once located, an open wooden structure with a black East x East sign seemed to be used as a storage unit.

Blue and white pillows used on Gurney’s beach lounge chairs were tossed in piles in large plastic bags before a full-length mirror with the letters East x East on it, along with a stack of cushions and fake plants.

A black and white surfboard with the words East x East stood propped up against the external wall. But there was no sign of clothing or store operations.

Officials at Gurney's and the Montauk Yacht Club declined to comment.

Public records gave Nolan-O'Slatarra's most recent address as a high rise west of Manhattan's midtown. A door attendant at the building declined to comment. A listing on the real estate website StreetEasy said the apartment was rented in March with an asking price of $5,200 per month.   

  In a 2024 interview with the Irish Independent, Nolan-O'Slatarra — then going by Mary Nolan — said she'd been raised in the small Irish town of Carlow, attending The Institute of Education in Dublin and University College Dublin.

"I always knew I wanted to be successful, that I was money driven, business driven and that fashion is a tough industry and it would be a slow road," she told the interviewer. "I made friends in the institute and at college and a new group in New York, but I still have all my Carlow friends."

Nolan-O’Slatarra's LinkedIn page lists her as managing director of an investment firm, K4 Capital Management, which did not respond to an emailed request for comment, and as founder or principal of two other companies. Her work experience shows several jobs in Ireland before she started working in the United States in 2015.

In an email, a spokesman for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the department was "aware of the case and is providing consular assistance" but does not comment on the details of individual cases. 

Suffolk police did not answer emailed questions about the case.

Morgan DeLissio, 31, of Manhattan, said that despite staying in a room at the yacht club near the boats, she and her husband did not hear anything early Tuesday. Later on in the day, DeLissio said she and her husband noticed police officers and FBI agents trickling onto the property and the dock.

"It’s not like they were infiltrating the hotel," she said. "They were very low key about it."

The couple was staying in Montauk to celebrate their one-year anniversary.

"We just kind of thought it was like a little boat scuffle, maybe like someone like crashed their boat into another person's boat," she said. "We didn't think it was anything serious."

"We were just very curious and shocked that it was right there," she said.

She was also surprised that the boat was still docked on Wednesday. The club seemed calm as usual, she said. "You would never know anything bad happened," she said.

East Hampton Town Police received a call from a man about an unconscious woman on a boat at the yacht club, according to Suffolk police. Good Samaritans tried to render CPR to Nolan-O’Slatarra, whom first responders ultimately pronounced dead.

Detectives with the Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad were investigating.

The back of the boat on which the woman was found says: "Ripple." Below it were written "Long Beach New York," according to a photograph taken at the scene.

Anyone with information on the death is asked to contact Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392.